In the past few articles, I have been examining God’s illustration of the model conversion to Christ. I believe that we can use the salvation of Saul of Tarsus to evaluate our own salvation experience. Thus far, we have seen that before becoming a Christian we were enemies of God. Then God sought us out, revealed Himself to us, and we responded to that revelation in faith. We were totally humbled and proclaimed Him Lord. I observe many who claim to be Christians and I believe that they really think they are, but without that humbling, their proclamation of Jesus as Lord rings very, very hollow. The evidence of this lack of humbling is all around us. We fail to keep Christ’s commands. We treat the church (the body of Christ) as if it belongs to us and exists for our comfort and convenience. Please do not miss the necessity of coming to Christ as one who has been totally and completely humbled.

If we have been truly humbled, there will be a complete and radical transformation in us. That is because we have been moved from darkness to light, night to day, the kingdom of Satan to the Kingdom of God, and enemy of God to friend of God. 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us that we are a new creation, that old things have passed away and new things have come. We will not think the same, talk the same, act the same, may not even look the same. Acts 9 tells us that we will certainly not see in the same way. Saul of Tarsus was blinded when Christ revealed Himself. Saul was blinded to the physical world but immediately spiritual reality was revealed to him. A few days later, the Bible tells us that the scales fell off of Saul’s eyes and he received his physical sight back. He kept his spiritual eyesight. When we are saved we keep our physical eyes and receive spiritual eyes. We now see with our head and our heart. It is no wonder that when Saul/Paul prays in Ephesians 1 that he prays that we will have a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Christ. He goes on in that prayer to ask that the eyes of our heart would be enlightened.

Once Christ comes to us and we are saved, we will continue to see with our physical eyesight but never again in the same way. Perhaps this is why Paul had an eye problem for the rest of his life, to remind him that he would never see things in the same way again. This creates a blessed tension in our lives, we continue to live in this world but we do not see it the way we used to see it.

In Acts 22 where Paul gives his testimony, he said that Christ told him that he had been appointed to be witness to all men of what he had seen and heard. This is true for you and me as well. We have been given spiritual eyes with which to see. We are appointed to witness to this salvation found in Christ. In Acts 26 where Paul shares his testimony a second time, he says that Christ told him that he was being sent to the Gentiles to “open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God”. If you are not being used to help others get their spiritual eyes open, perhaps yours have not been opened. Ask that the eyes of your heart would be opened, for a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Christ. God will not disappoint. ..….…….pastorsteve8800@gmail.com